2023 Costs of Cord Blood Banking – What’s Involved?

Private cord blood banking costs as little as £550 upfront, plus a small annual fee, and payment can be spread over 12 months, meaning it may be less expensive than you think.

We offer a huge range of cord blood banking packages, that include everything from cord blood only, all the way through to our Ultimate service; a comprehensive stem cell banking service costing £6,875 and including every perinatal stem cell tissue available – umbilical cord blood, cord tissue, placental tissue and amnion.

Want to know more about cord blood banking and the best plan to suit you? Read on!

What is cord blood banking?

Cord blood banking is the process of collecting, testing and storing blood and perinatal tissues from the umbilical cord and placenta after baby is born.  This is to preserve precious stem cells that are found in the umbilical cord and placenta, and which are your baby’s own perfect biological match. It is a non-invasive procedure that is 100% safe for mum and baby.

This is high-level view of cord blood banking, for further information visit our Overview page.

Why should I bank my baby’s stem cells?

Collecting the cord blood stem cells is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If not collected or donated, they end up becoming medical waste (literally thrown in the bin!).

Stem cells can currently treat over 80 conditions worldwide including blood disorders, blood cancers and immune disorders. Clinical trials are also revealing the further potential for these cells for treatment for things like brain injury and multiple sclerosis.

By storing privately, as opposed to donating publicly, your family will maintain access to your samples as needed, and your child will have a 100% genetic match should they ever get ill or injured. Better yet, their siblings will also have protection due their odds of being a full match and a high chance of being a partial match with their brother or sister. 

How to pick your payment plan with Cells4Life?

Never be afraid to ask questions! After all, you are putting down a lot of money on this and it is a very important decision.

Here is a breakdown of all the Cells4Life packages:

Silver: Cord blood only

Just the cord blood is collected and stored.

Gold: Cord blood and cord tissue

Cord blood and portions of the umbilical cord itself are collected and stored.

Platinum: Cord blood, tissue, CellsPlus, multiple samples and dual locations

Cord blood and tissue are collected and stored, these samples are divided into multiple portions and stored across two facilities. You will also have access to the CellsPlus technology.

Ultimate: Cord blood, tissue, CellsPlus, placental cells and amnion, multiple samples and dual locations and BabyInsight

Cord blood and tissue are collected and stored, these samples are divided into multiple portions and stored across two facilities. You will also have access to the CellsPlus technology. On top of that, you get access to Cells4Life’s genetic screening called BabyInsight.

Our most popular package is our Platinum Service which includes CellsPlus.

Each of our main packages has an Access Plan equivalent. We wanted to ensure that everyone can store and these plans are a much more affordable cord blood banking option.

With Cells4Life you can store the cord blood and also tissue in multiple samples and store across two locations. You can also store your amnion and placental cells – which is unique to Cells4Life. The blood, tissue and placenta contain different but equally powerful cells. Existing clinical trials are beginning to show that for each – blood, tissue, and placenta – there could be different applications, with some being more effective than others. By storing them all, you can give yourself access to the greatest possible range of stem cells and treatments possible.

Do you want to add genetic screening for your baby? Our BabyInsight service comes as standard in our Ultimate plan. Otherwise, you can pay just £360 to test your child for five conditions, giving you the heads up on any potential health issues that might otherwise go unmanaged… until it’s too late.

Processing technology? All cord blood banks need to process the collected blood to isolate and then store the stem cells. At Cells4Life, we have an exclusive CellsPlus technology. Powered by TotiCyte, it is a revolution in cord blood processing, giving our customers up to 3x more stem cells at the point of therapy. CellsPlus can be added as a standalone extra, otherwise it comes as standard with our Platinum and Ultimate packages.

Any other fees? If you need a phlebotomist – someone who is licenced to collect the samples – this will cost you extra. The NHS won’t do this for you. We use a company called Phlebotomy UK which costs £300.

Storage term? Annual storage fees vary according to package and provider. At Cells4Life the annual fees range from £70 to £240 and all contracts are 25 years old.

NOTE – Should your sample not be viable for storage for any reason, we will contact you and inform you before arranging any refund. Typically, you will pay a non-refundable deposit, but in the event we cannot store your sample, we won’t charge you the full cost of your service.

What else is involved?

Once your samples are with us and have passed all the testing it’s not simply popped in a freezer. If it were that easy, you could do it at home.

Of course, the testing involved requires specialised equipment that costs money, trained staff, and specialist storage tanks that hold your sample at -170 degrees Celsius using liquid nitrogen. The liquid nitrogen needs constantly topping up too.

To keep your precious stem cells safe, we have to ensure all of our equipment and storage system are kept running and are fully functional. We want to ensure your samples stay secure and ready for use whenever.

If you are interested in banking with us at Cells4Life, get a FREE parent guide today or call 01444 873 950 to find out more.